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Tell us: How have Hurricanes Helene and Milton impacted you?

Hurricane Helene devastated six Southern states two weeks ago, and Milton is set to hit Florida Wednesday. Share your story with us.

In this image taken with a drone, piles of furniture and household items destroyed in Hurricane Helene flooding sit piled up outside of homes ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

By Annie Jonas

October 8, 2024

1 minute to read

The South has been hit by extreme weather in recent weeks, with Hurricane Milton barreling toward the Florida coast on Tuesday.

Hurricane Milton’s center could hit the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people, by Wednesday night. Officials were warning residents in several counties to evacuate by Tuesday night in preparation for the storm.

Milton was initially classified as a Category 5 storm on Monday before weakening Tuesday to a Category 4. According to the National Weather Service’s Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, Category 4 hurricanes have sustained wind speeds of between 130 and 156 mph, and catastrophic damage will occur.

“Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months,” the Category 4 scale definition reads.

Forecasters warned of a possible 10- to 15-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay – the highest ever predicted for that location. The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Five inches to a foot of rain was forecast for the Florida Peninsula, with as much as 18 inches expected in some places.

Milton is also threatening other stretches of Florida’s coast that were devastated by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.

Helene hit the northern Florida coast as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 26, bringing 140 mph winds and dumping more than 20 inches of rain across a path of six Southern states. More than 230 people were killed and hundreds remain missing across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, according to CNN.